What I Should Have Done
by My Oasis
Summary: What if Christopher had never shown up at the high school dance to sing to Jessica? How would she move on, and who would give her words of wisdom to help her heart heal? One-shot, in both Christopher and Jessica POV.


The sound of her shoes echoing down the empty school hallway filled her ears as Jessica wandered the halls of McKinley High.

After entering the gym and basically being the laughing stock of the room, Jessica had decided to leave. The room, at least. She couldn't leave the school, because her only ride was her sister, and it was too far a walk in such cold.

Tears flowed down her cheeks, uncontrollable, making her blind. Her heart ached, and even though the only thing she could hear were her heels, she was sure she could hear the absence of her broken heart's thumping.

Jessica had arrived home from California yesterday. After Sara had announced how the one, the only, Christopher Wilde was talking about her on _StarStruck News_, she had had no choice but to explain to her sister and parents why exactly the popstar was talking about her, of all people. So she had described what had happened from start to finish. Chris knocking the door against her head, taking her to the hospital, his stay at Garage de la Grandma, the next day at the beach, hiding from the paparazzi, the photography tour of LA, sinking the car, almost kissing, him calling her ordinary. Everything. Managing to hide her tears until her family stopped the questions, until she was safe in her room, and could let the tears flow, until she finally, mercifully, fell into a blissful, ignorant sleep.

Then morning came. It was Monday, so she had to face the entire school. Everyone stared, whispered. Even some of her teachers treated her differently. Everyone now thought she was some major stalker with no life. She wasn't all the school talked about, thankfully. It was the day of the dance, and that popped up in conversations, before they all returned to her and her mental problems.

Climbing the stairs to the second floor, she began to walk down the hall. It was dark; the only occupied place was the main hallway and gym. The rest of the school was empty. Or so she thought.

Wiping away the latest salty flood, Jessica noticed the square of light leaking through the open door of a classroom at the other end of the hallway. Walking closer, she realized it was the room of her favorite subject and teacher, Biology. It was Mrs. Lee.

Peeking inside the doorway, she saw the young blonde sitting at her desk, leaning over some papers. She gently knocked on the wooden door, and Mrs. Lee looked up. "Jessica. I wasn't expecting you." Noticing the teen's red, puffy eyes, the streaks of mascara, and the dress, she realized that Jess had come to the dance, only to continue to be made fun of. "Would you like to come in?"

Jessica hesitated before nodding, stepping inside. She looked around the room, realizing it was the first time she had ever seen it this empty. Sitting at a desk nearest Mrs. Lee's, she watched the teacher grade the last of her papers.

Putting the pen away, Mrs. Lee turned towards Jessica. "How was your trip, dear?"

Jessica sighed. "Mrs. Lee, I know you have a life. I'm sure you've heard about how I'm the latest celebrity stalker."

Mrs. Lee didn't respond for a moment, but finally replied, "Yes, Jessica, I've heard about it. Doesn't mean I believe it."

Jessica, who had been playing with the hem of her dress, looked up at her teacher in disbelief, her green eyes dull.

Mrs. Lee chuckled, turning to fully face one of her favorite students. "I'm the type of person who likes to hear both sides of the story before I make my judgment. Some say I'd make a good lawyer."

Jessica didn't respond.

"So, tell me what happened, in your eyes."

Sighing, Jessica repeated everything she had told her parents and Sara yesterday, not meeting Mrs. Lee's eyes, afraid of what she might see. When she was finished, she finally looked up, peering through her long eyelashes, to see a sympathetic look on her teacher's face. This surprised the shit out of her.

Mrs. Lee fiddled with the pen she had been using to grade the papers. "Jessica, I've had you long enough to know that, although you have one of the sharpest tongues I've ever heard, you wouldn't lie. Sometimes you're harshly honest, and perhaps it would be better to bend the truth, but I somehow know you'd never outright lie."

Jessica listened to her teacher, finally looking up to look Mrs. Lee straight in the eye.

Mrs. Lee continued. "Now, I don't know Christopher Wilde like you know him. And perhaps it's wrong of me to judge. But he seems like the type to lie, if it'll make him look good." Pausing, she went on. "Now, perhaps he simply lied to protect you, as he said he was trying to do in the first place. Or he could just be lying to hide the fact that he likes a small-town girl. I don't know." She leaned closer to Jessica. "But I do know this. It hurts now, as does many things. And it will hurt, for awhile. But you'll move on. If he couldn't see what he had while he had it, he doesn't deserve you, sweetheart."

Jessica simply nodded. She knew Mrs. Lee was right, as she always was.

"One more thing, Jessica. I want you to always remember this. It didn't work out, because it wasn't meant to be. You're going to find someone so much better than a silly celebrity who might never have time for you, what with all the press, fans, tours, and now this movie. As I've heard, he's being cast in a movie. If you were meant to be with Christopher Wilde, he never would have lied in the first place. And even if he did lie, and you were meant to be, he would have come after you." Mrs. Lee paused once more. "Has he come after you?"

Jessica shook her head, a fresh wave of tears filling her eyes and sliding down her cheeks.

Mrs. Lee handed her a tissue from off of her desk, and Jessica dabbed at her eyes. "Go home, sweetheart. You're a mess. Go home, take a bath, and get some sleep. Take a few days off. I'll let you know what you missed when you come back."

Jessica sighed, shaking her head. "I have no way of getting home, and there's still an hour left of the dance."

Mrs. Lee rose out of her chair, walking over to her closet. "Well, I've finished grading my papers, and I'm headed home. Would you like me to give you a ride?"

Jessica hesitated. "Only if it isn't out of your way." And she told Mrs. Lee her address.

Mrs. Lee smiled. "I live right around the block from that street. It's no trouble at all."

Jessica nodded, rising out of the desk. "Let me go and find my sister, and let her know." As she spoke, she began to walk out of the classroom.

Mrs. Lee was right behind her. After turning out the lights and locking the shut door, she nodded. "I'll have the car waiting by the front door."

Jessica smiled. "Thank you, Mrs. Lee. For everything." With that, she turned and began walking towards the staircase. As she made her way back to the gym, Jessica dwelled on the words of her wise Biology teacher. _She's right. I need to forget Christopher Wilde, and find someone who won't sacrifice me just so they can get into a movie._ Entering the gym, she kept her head up, looking around for her red-haired sister and immediately spotting her with AJ. Walking over, she tapped Sara on the shoulder.

Sara turned and smiled at her sister. Having known her sister forever, Sara knew Jessica would never lie about what she had said, knowing she had truly hated Christopher Wilde before the trip. Even if she had had no reason to.

"I'm getting a ride home from Mrs. Lee," Jessica informed her sister, never looking away, afraid to see how many people were staring at her, whispering back and forth to each other.

Sara nodded. "I'm sorry for making you come. I can see this was a bad idea."

Jessica shrugged. "No, it's my fault. I should have known better. I'll see you later at home."

Sara nodded again, before turning back towards AJ.

Jessica walked out of the gym once more, going through the front doors. Seeing a car running in front of her, she peered in and saw Mrs. Lee sitting in the driver's seat. Climbing in, she buckled her seatbelt.

Mrs. Lee put the gear in drive and began to pull out of the school parking lot.

The ride to Jessica's house was silent, an uncomfortable silence between two people who had never been extremely close, but were trying to be closer.

Mrs. Lee pulled the car next to the curb in front of Jessica's house. "I'll see you in a few days, ok?"

Jessica nodded, shutting the door behind her. As she walked up the brick pathway, she listened to her teacher's car pull away. Reaching the door, she stepped inside and smiled lightly at her parents, who were sitting on the couch in the living room, watching TV.

"Where's Sara?" Barbara asked, noticing her youngest daughter had arrived home early, and alone.

"Oh, I got a ride from a friend."

Barbara sighed. She, too, knew her daughter was telling the truth about her adventures in Hollywood. She also knew, based on the harassment her daughter had already received on the internet, that school was going to be extremely hard. "That rough, huh?"

Jessica nodded, a single tear sliding down her left cheek.

Stepping closer to her daughter, Barbara wiped the tear away before wrapping her arms around Jessica and hugging her. Leaning back, she stroked her daughter's hair, looking her in the eyes. Identical green-to-green. One set brimming with tears, the other set shining with compassion and sympathy. "Jessica, it doesn't matter who believes you and who doesn't. You know it's true, we know it's true, Sara knows it's true. Christopher knows it's true. Those are the only people that matter."

Jessica shook her head angrily. "No! Christopher doesn't matter anymore. He saw me crying in that phone booth, and what did he do? Nothing! He knew how much lying about knowing me would hurt me, and what did he do? He lied anyway. If he liked me, and thought I was really amazing, like he said, he never would have done any of the shit he did."

Barbara's eyes hardened. "There is no reason to swear." Her eyes softened once more. "You're right, though. Christopher doesn't matter." She kissed the top of her daughter's head. "Only the people who matter. Your family."

Jessica only nodded. Pulling out of her mother's embrace, she sighed. "I'm going to bed. I'm going to take a bath, if that's ok."

Barbara nodded, returning to the couch.

After running a hot bath with cotton-candy scented bubbles, and country music, Jessica dressed in her comfiest sleep-pants and sweatshirt, putting her hair up and curling up in bed, reruns of _SpongeBob SquarePants _playing on her TV. She finally fell asleep near midnight, and heard her sister come home around 12:30, an hour past curfew.

Jessica's dreams were full of Christopher, possible what-if's, and what she could have done differently the day on the beach. What she could have done to avoid talking to Christopher, and perhaps gone to sit with her sister instead. What she could have done to avoid all of this heartbreak. What she should have done.

* * *

"Dude, you gotta get over this girl! She was just one girl! Compared to thousands of others!"

Christopher was sitting in his living room with Stubby, who was currently trying to convince him to get over Jessica Olson.

She had gone hone yesterday. Back to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Never to grace his life with her beautiful smile, mesmerizing eyes, her _mere presence_. He knew she was gone. He knew, because he could feel it. She was noblonger a few miles away, a simple hour-drive away.

Chris also knew she was gone because he had gone looking for her at her grandmother's house, but realizing she was gone. Jessica was gone.

He had spent the rest of the day near the pond, sitting in the shade, just thinking about their day together. The way her emerald eyes had shimmered in the California sunshine. The way she had sang along to one of his songs. The way she had laughed with him on the photography tour. Everything about her. Far from ordinary. More like extraordinary. More than amazing. Absolutely perfect.

He had spent today hanging out with Stubby, trying everything possible to take his mind off of his lost love. But to no avail. She had left him physically, but there was no doubt she was still there emotionally. She had taken his heart with her, to small-town Kalamazoo, Michigan. And he doubted he'd get it back completely. She'd always have a piece of his heart, whether she wanted it or not.

At the end of the day, Christopher and Stubby had returned to Chris' house. Stubby, although he had noticed it all day, finally brought up how he had noticed how distant his best friend was, and knew why almost immediately. He hated seeing Chris sad, but what could he do about it? He couldn't bring Jessica back; he couldn't make her forgive Christopher. He would if he could. He knew Christopher loved her and wanted her to have a normal life, and the only way to do that was to let her go, and let them both move on from each other. Realizing this, he became determind to convince Christopher of this.

Chris shook his head at Stubby. "No, man. She was so much more. She said stuff to me that so many people would never dream of saying to me. She likes me- _liked _me -for who I really was. My normal version. Not my celebrity version. How could I replace that?"

Stubby shrugged. "Go out and slam a door against another girl's head. But make it a celebrity this time." He chuckled at his own joke.

Chris remained silent.

Stubby sighed. "Look, man. If she was the one for you, you wouldn't have done what you did. You wouldn't have been embarrassed to be seen with her. You would of kissed her, no matter who was walking past."

Christopher sighed, knowing he was right. "Should I go after her?"

Stubby shook his head. "I wouldn't. You said you did what you did to protect her from the paparazzi."

"But that didn't work!" Chris pointed out. "Even though I was so careful, they still caught us. So why continue to go by what I said when it doesn't even matter anymore?"

Stubby shook his head. "Don't go after her, Chris. You broke her heart. If you go after her, and she refuses you, you'll both end up with broken hearts."

Chris scoffed. "She already broke my heart. It killed me when I saw her crying in that telephone booth. Outright killed me."

Stubby shook his head. "I told you what I think you should do."

Chris didn't say anything.

"Let her go, man," Stubby whispered. "The focus on her will die down, and she can have that normal life you wanted for her. But if you go after her and you two end up in a relationship, paparazzi will never leave her alone."

Chris continued to say nothing.

"Let her go. Because if you let her go now, both of your hearts will heal. Both of you will forget the pain over time. She can have that normal life, and you can find a happily-ever-after with another celebrity, whose life is already ruined, long ago, by the paparazzi."

Chris nodded.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Stubby rose to his feet. "I'm going home. I'll see you tomorrow."

Chris nodded, and watched his best friend walk out the door.

Later that night, Christopher lay in the darkness of his bedroom, thinking about Jessica. What he could have done differently that day on the beach. How he should have kissed her, no matter who was walking past them on the beach, whether it had been those surfers, or Libby Lam. How he should have run to Jessica the moment he saw her crying in the phone booth, and wrapped her in his strong, capable arms. How he should have wiped away the tears, and how he should have gingerly kissed her forehead, and told her how he'd never say or do anything like that again.

Turning over, he finally fell into a restless sleep, dreaming of Jessica wrapped in his arms, pressed against his chest. What he should of done.

* * *

**Author's Note: So, what do you guys think? ****Review! Leave some love, or burn me with your flames. Just please let me know I have my beloved readers.**

**Love Always,  
Snowpetal98/Obsessed With Starstruck**


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